Cloth marking machine



Jari. 15, 1952 E, F, SMITH 2,582,854

l I CLOTH MARKING MACHINE Filed Allg. 8, 1946 5 SheetS-Sheei l A7154 51'?" 24 'lz 25 @004)M, [WLM WMMW- Jan. 15, 1952 E, F, SMlTH 2,582,854

CLOTH MARKING MACHINE Filed Aug.v 8, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a in an 4,@ es

5%/ INVENTOR. /ZO BEYdw' u( vg'- L65 wvmi am JUTXLMMW- Jan. 15, 1952 E. F. SMITH 2,582,854

CLOTH MARKING MACHINE Filed Aug. a, 194e :s sheets-sheet s @e @9 j ,m/

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Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OF FI CE CLOIHMARKING MACHINE Edward' F. S'mitl, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Wolf Machine Company, Cincinnati,V Ohio, incorporation ofy Ohio Applicationnugusts, 1946, seriaiNo. 689,295

V 4' Claims. l

ThisV invention relates to a vmachinei'r. marking cloth and more particularly to a` machine for marking a number of layers of cloth., in a single operation.

It is common practice in the mass production of clothing to out, cloth a` number ofllayeis at a time with a cloth, cutting machine. Certain places mustbemarked on alll'ayers, for example: the positionsv of" buttonY holes, buttons, inserts', andl the like, and it is most convenient to niark all the layers in a'single operation before" theA layersV are separated. However, none of' themachines currently.` availa'lileV for markingV a number of( layers' of cloth are fullysatisfactory, and iti has been a principal objective; of' this' invention to develop a marking 'machine suitable for markingy a number oflayers of cloth ina singleoperar tion to apply a clear,.lasting mark which iseasy to locate and which can' be completely removed from the cloth when no longer'needed Marking machines have: been suggested i'n which a" perforationI is made through a number of layers of cloth; SuchY marking Vor perforating machines; however, lea-vea mark which'rapidiy' disappears and'for this` reason isV` unsatisfactory.

Another' type of machine heretofore'employed is" used which acts to perforateL-the clothl and' aft-the same time toH lead afmarking` liquid through the hereof the needle intovarious-layers or cloth.

It has been found that a needle of 'appropriait-e'Y dimensions toV carry a marking fluid can ce driven throughl layers of-A cloth with ease only` when the needle is being rotated; and, therefora a furthery objective of this invention-has loe'ento` produce a markingV machine having arotatingn needle with a hollow bore.

As a marking iluid, asuspension of chalk o1 'other pigment ina volatile organic fluid, for ex'- ample; carbon tetrachloride, is preferably employed. This suspension rapidly penetratescloth to leave a clear, whitel mark on thecloth which mark can easily be brushed away when nclong'er needed. However, the suspension rapidly stratiles upon: standing to leave a layer of' chalk particlesand a layer of liquid-above thechalkparticles inthe tank or reservoir. Therefore, a iur-- 2 ther objective of this invention has beentoeprofvdermeansfor mixingrthef chalk and huida-when then-larkingE machine' is in operation. rlhis is'i accomplished by rotationof the liquid reservoir..

' Stationary baffles are provided. within theresereV voir which act. to miie liquid. and. chalk withinthe reservoir` when` thel machine-.is i-n use?. and; the liquid reservoir and the needle are rotateditof.- get-her..v A I In order to provide a sufcient 110W- ofmarking; uid throughf the bore of.: theA needle: whenv it. is

beingv used; to4 mark cloth, thefrbore mustheo sufficient diameter to permit marking fluid to.

flow. through;theineedleU rapidly.. On,l the. other hand,.when theneedle israised, from the.goods the flow of mark-ingfluidJmu'st.he,cutlofil` Therefore, it. has been.` a-.ffurtherobjective. of. this .invention toprovide a marking machineinwhich marking fluid flows= through the bore of'the marking needle only while the needle-iis heingins'erted through layers of cloth andin whi'chth flow 0i' markingliquid is' cutoff as soon as theneedle is raised.`

In tneembodiment disclosed: marking uuidi On the other hand, when'th'e" marking machine:

isjloweredand' the needle is forced into the `cloth, the pressure required toforcethe; point of" the needle' into'thecl'oth is'A suflicient to? raise' the needle with respect" to; tlile reservoiruntil" the opening in the upp'e'nportion of the needle isabove-fthe gasketV and-lin position to permit niark'- ing fluid to owtlirough the bore of` the needle.

Whena markingioperatin has been completed,

the markingiiid remaining'v in the bore of theneedle-mu'stbe remov'dtheref'rom', forir residualfluidA is-left in the bore'of themeedle'; the cha-lkl contained1in'V it tendsv to settle out theboieoff the` 'needle to clog" theA boi'feand prevent proper flow of fluid whenfnext thefmachine i'sl'set operation.- A quick and-convenientmeth'dd'for cleaning 'the-'bore of the needle at the'-endefa period of use of thex machine is provided the# markin'gl machihe-ofthis invention.4 The motfo'rf drive isstop'ped fr a short period during which' the chalk' rapidly settleso`ut off suspensionintora' trough. which surrounds thev gasket. gasketitself is set-ina: slightly raisedposition inf the liquid r'e'eservoifrv to give aL sufficientl volume# of;

space in the-:reservoiiffbelovr thefgas-ket to'faccorif--` modate all the chalk which can settle out of suspension. After the chalk has settled, the needle is raised briefly with respect to the reservoir to permit a small amount of clear fluid from above the chalk layer to iiow through the bore of the needle to clean it.

Various other advantages and features of the invention will be more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a marking machine constructed in accordance with this invention, the handle for use in raising and lowering the machine being shown partly in dotted lines for clarity.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the marking machine illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detailed sectional View of the lower needle guide, the section being taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing the liquid reservoir and needle guides of the marking machine illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view of the needle showing it partly broken away and partly in section.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a side view of the marking machine showing the machine partly lowered into marking position.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view taken from Figure 5 showing the needle raised with respect to the liquid container, the needle being shown in position for liquid flow through its bore.

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on line III-I 0 of Figure 5.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the marking machine includes an L-shaped main support I8 one end of which is attached to and supported by a table II. The support I0 carries an electric motor I2 which, by means of a belt I3, turns a marking needle I4 and a liquid reservoir I6. A handle I1 is used to lower the needle and reservoir to force the needle to drill through a stack I8 of layers of cloth or other material to be marked by the machine. A pair of upright guides I9 mounted on the support I0 guide the vertical movement of the needle and reservoir.

' The stack I8 is made up of a number of layers of cloth all of which are to be marked with a single pattern. The cloth rests on the top of the table and is free to be moved across the table and under the marking needle I4.

The needle I4 is constructed of tubular material to conduct liquid from the reservoir I6 through an opening l2i] near the point of the needle to mark the cloth. Between marking operations the stack I8 is moved with respect to the table II so that the needle I4 is above` the point in the cloth atY which a mark is to be made before the handle I1 is lowered.

The handle I1 includes a main lever 22 and a short lever 23 which join at a pivot 24. The lever 23 is pivotally mounted on the support I8 at a pivot point 25. The lever 22 is pivotally connected to a reservoir mounting bracket slidably engaged on the upright guide I9 and pivots thereon at a point 26. This arrangement of levers permits the marking machine to be lowered when the handle I1 is lowered and also provides a means for holding the reservoir I6 and needle I4 in raised position, as shown in Figure 1. When the handle I1 is raised, the levers lock in raised position to hold the reservoir in raised position and support the needle above and free of the bolt of cloth. A stop 21 attached to an extension of the lever 22 binds against the lever 23 to hold the reservoir and needle in raised position and to prevent them from being raised too far.

A cloth hold-down plate or presser foot 28 is provided and is bolted to a bracket 48 mounted on an upright bar 29. The bar 29 in turn rides through an opening in a ange 30 attached to the support I0 and an opening in a support member 3I attached to the liquid reservoir I6. An adjustable member 32 is slidably mounted upon the bar 29, and a spring 33 connects the member 32 with the support I0. When the machine is to be used, the hold-down plate or presser foot 28 is raised so that the stack of cloth I8 moves freely under the hold-down plate when the handle I1 is raised. Then the member 32 is engaged against the support member 3I and is tightened upon the rod 29 by turning a clamping handle 34.

In this position, the hold-down plate 28 is pulled down against the stack of cloth I8 by the spring 33 as long as the handle I1 is lowered, as shown in Figure 8, but, when the handle is raised, as shown in Figure 1, the hold-down plate is raised above the stack I8 to permit the stack to be moved preparatory to further marking. As shown in Figure 10, one side 35 of the bar 29 is flat and ts against corresponding straight edges on the ilange 38 and support member 3I to prevent rotation of the hold-down plate 28. The needle I4 is provided with a pair of movable guides 36 and 31 and, in addition, a lower guide 38 which is attached to the hold-down plate 28. Details of the lower guide and of the hold-down plate are shown in Figures 3 and 4. The lower guide 38 includes a funnel shaped guiding member 39 carried on a bracket 40 which bracket is attached to the upright bar 29 and, further,

serves to connect the hold-down plate 28 to the bar 29. The funnel shaped member 39 serves to direct the point of the needle I4 into proper orientation for piercing the cloth at a proper point. The hold-down plate 28 includes a V- shaped slot beneath the guide 38 which slot 4I serves to clear the needle I4 as it passes through the stack of cloth I8 when the needle is lowered.

Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, a suitable marking liquid is fed into the needle I4 from the reservoir I6. A preferred marking liquid for use with this marking machine is one which includes a suspension of powdered chalk in a carrier of carbon-tetrachloride. However, other marking mixtures may be used with the apparatus of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof. The chalk-carbon tetrachloride mixture is advantageous because it quickly penetrates the fibers of a piece of cloth to deposit a white chalk mark in the goods. Also the carbon tetrachloride rapidly evaporates from the goods without leaving any residue. Further the chalk mark deposited can easily and quickly be brushed olf the goods when the mark is no longer desired so as to leave no residue of marking material on the goods.

A chalk-carbon tetrachloride marking mixture rapidly separates into its components and straties on standing and must be agitated constantly while in use in order to keep the solid chalk suspendedin the liquid. The apparatus for agitating the marking mixture can be understood most clearly by reference to Figure which AShows details of the liquid reservoir.. The rese-rvoir I6 includes a glass or plastic -shell 42 having a metal upper cover 43 and an inverted coneshaped metal bottom 44. The bottom of the reservoir is configura-ted to provide la .raised central portion 44h which is surrounded by a trough 14a Around the hub of the bottom 44 is an integral Vetype pulley 45 around which the belt I3 passes. The -cover 43., the bottom44., and the glass shell 42 are held together by means 'of a series of tie-bolts 46. Gaskets. v47 tit -between the shell 42, the cover 43 and thebottom 4'4 to provide a liquidtight seal. Y

During 4operation `of the marking machine., the liquid reservoir, including the shell V42,. the top 44 and the bottom 45, rotates. The rotating portions are mounted in ball bearings 48. The bearings in turn are mounted in an upper Supe port member 49 and the lower support member 3|, which members are slidably mounted Ion the Aguides I9 so that the reservoir I6 and also the members 3I and 4S slide vertically along the guides I9 while the Iliquid containing shell 42 and the covers 43 and 44 are rotatedby the helt Details of the sliding mounting are shown in Figures 2, 5., and 1`0. Each of the support members 3-I and 49 is equipped with a pai-r vof split lugs 50 which are. mounted on arms extending from the support members and which fit around the sleeves 53 von the guides I9. Each split. ring 50 in turn is closed by means of a bolt 5I which -ean be tightened to -`clamp the split ring.

- the split rings 535. Thus, when the bolts 5I are tightened to draw up the split rings-5 about the ends of the sleeves 53, Aa positive grip is provided between the split V-rinl'gs and the sleeves `tol-hold the support members 3l and '49` 4spaced Vassembled relation. A threaded lug 54 formedas a -part of the split ring 3lI, serves 'as a Ecenterfor the pivot point LZit-on the lever 22.

A `filling tube 55 passes 'through 'an opening in the -center of the cover I'43. The tube islattached by means of aset screw 152 to a 'support 5l attached lto the --member 49. `A gasket .58 which surrounds the filling tube '55 .prevents liquid Vfrom inside the shell A42 passing :up along l the outside of the tube 55 and protects theupper ballbearing 48 lfroI-n marking-fluid, which, except for the gasket -58,.m'ight pass from lthe inside of the reservoir 126 along the sides fof 'the dill-ing tube 55 into the ballbearing. The vtubeis used to introduce fluid .into the reservoir =Ii5 and -carries at its lower v'end a collar 55d having radial flanges 55h which Vare Yfixed to paddles EES.. The paddles 59 are constructed to remain stationary while the shell 42y revolves. Thus, thelpaddles serve to stir the liquid in the reser-voir while the reservoir rotates.V lA series of fslots 6I] -out in the lower portion ofthe paddles 59 permits-some of the fluid in the reservoir to rotatelvwth the reservoir and thusimproves the stirring action. .A felt scraper 6I -isatt-ached to one of the .paddles 59 vand serves Vto scrape :any material -from the walls vof the 'shell -42 which may adhere thereto.

Details of Ythe needle lconstruction can best Ibe seen by reference to {Figure :6. The `needle iis constructed from a length of small dia-meter metal tubing and has a bore 62 which extends the .length of the needle. At the. lower end of the needle isv a point 63 which `is `solderedjinto the tubing of the needle., The lower lopening 2li., constituting a fluid egress port, is out from the side of the needle just above the point 53., and marking fluid flows from the needle through this opening into the cloth to be marked by the needle. An `openingV 65,. constituting a` fluid fentry port, in the side of the upper portion Iof the needle permitsA liquid to enter and flow through the bore 462 of the needle.

The marking liquid is, fairly free flowingv and must flow through the needle only when cloth is being marked therewith. Otherwise, if mark- -ing `fluid owed continuously, it would dall pn the upper layer of cloth While the needle was raised to spot the upper layer. Therefore, needle is so mounted 'that liquid flows through the bore of the rneedle only while the needle Vis in contact with a stack of cloth.

Referring again to Figure 5 the Aneedle .passes through :a guide bore L66 formed through the center of the bottom 44.

kA .needle support 61 .having a pair of small keys 68 is firmly attached centrally Aoi fthe support nl and rthe `support el fits inside the bore 5 .and slides vertically therein. .As shown in lFilaire '7, the support -Sl., ris cut away at one side .to permit the passage `of air through the bore 66 rand along the side oi the support i6? as the support el moves up or 'down "through the -bore 6B. fllhesupport 6l, as illustrated in Figures 5 uand?, is keyed to, and the needle I4 rotates with, the :bottom 44. Keyways 169 are cut .in the yinner walls of the bore o6, and the upper ends of the .keyways 69 form a `limit stop 'as shown in Figure 19, limiting upward movement of 4the needle and support. A lower needle stop is provided by a cap 'I5 which is threaded on the axial extension of the bottom d'4 and through the center oiwhich `the needle passes.

The upper part of the needle passes through "a gasket or packing gland 'Il in the upper portion of the guide bore 65 which gasket covers the upper opening 65 of the needle, as lshown Figure .5, whenmarking-liquid is not flowing through the needle. A valve ll` 'mounted on 'a bracket T3 above the needle I4 forces 4the needle I4 downwardly Tinto the position shown in `FigureV `5 through the action of a lspring 'I4 when the needle is not vin operation to mark Aa stack .of cloth. The valve lbracket 'i3 is connected to the bottom 44 by lmeans of a plate 'I5 threaded to the upper end of the internal upper extension of the bottom 44 which plate servesnot only7 to vsupport the valve 'bracket 'I3 but also 'to hold the gasket II in place. The gasket'll `ismounted in a coun vterturned portion "i6 in the upper end of the guide bore AIiI `and the plate 'I5 acts .to close the upper end of the`bore.

A bore TI is .provided through the `center lof thegplate 'l5 to 'guide the upper end of theneed'le I4. rl`he upper portion yof rthe plate includes a tapered valve seat 'I8 for the valve l2.

The valve 'I2 ismounted on the loweryendoia valve stern 19 guided by aguide BI which forms a part of the valve bracket 13. The guide 81 vis carried by a series of rods 82 which in turn are attached to the plate l5. The valve stem 'i9 vis guided in abore 83 in the `guide 8|. The 'guide element 8| acts as a backing member for vthe spring 'I4 which spring 'acts to urge the valve F152 against lthe valve Seat -l-S. When .the machfme is lowered to bring the point 63 of the needle against a stack of cloth, the needle is forced upwardly with respect to the reservoir I6 to open the valve i12 (as shown inv Figure 9), until the opening 65 1in the side of the upper part of the needle is above the gasket 1I to permit marking liquid to enter the bore of the needle and flow down the needle into the cloth. When, on the other hand, the machine is raised the spring 14 forces the needle downward with respect to the reservoir and the valve 12 is forced against the valve seat 18 while the gasket 1I covers the upper opening in the needle to cut off thelow of liquid to the needle.

As the reservoir I 6 is lowered the guides 36 and 31 approach the lower guide 38. The guides 36 and 31 are slidably mounted for vertical movement to permit relative sliding movement between the guides and the reservoir when the needle is pushed through the bolt of cloth. Details of the construction of the guides 36 and 31 are shown in Figure 5. The upper, guide 31 consists of a horizontal bar 85, one end of which is mounted on the lower end of a vertical slide bar 86 while a slot 81 is formed through the other end of the bar 85 to receive the needle I4. The vertical bar 86 is square in cross-section and passes through openings 88 in flanges attached to the support members 3| and 48 and moves freely vertically through the openings 88 (see Figure 2). A pin 30 is attached to the upper part of the bar 86 and prevents the bar from falling free from the reservoir. The openings 88 are square in shape to prevent twisting of the bar 86 and are held in place by plates 3i for ease in assembling.

The guide 36 consists of a L-shaped bar 92 one end of which is attached to a second bar 33. The bar 93 in turn is equipped with flanges 94 formed by bending out the ends of the bar 93. Square openings 95 in the anges 94 are traversed by the bar 86 and the guide 36 is free to slide vertically along the bar 86, its movement being limited to the distance the guide 36 can slide before one of the flanges 94 engages one of the support members 3I and 49. A slot 96 formed in the free end of the bar 62 is traversed by the needle. Thus the needle guides 36 and 31 are prevented from rotating and give the needle I4 support against bending.

As the needle descends the reservoir and needle move downwardly relative to the guides 35 and 31, as shown in Figure 8, allowing the needle to penetrate further into the cloth. However, when the needle is raised once more, the guides 36 and 31 fall back into place under the influence of gravity to support the needle I4 against bending.

At the lowest point in its descent the point 63 iof the needle I4 passes below the level of the 'table II and, as shown in Figure 1, the table i! is equipped with an opening 91 below the needle `I4 into which the point of the needle extends at the lowest point of its descent. This cut-out portion or opening 91 is required tc permit the needle to descend far enough to mark the lowest layers of cloth in the stack of cloth I8.

The operation of the marking machine has been described generally with respect to the foregoing description of the structure. The operation will be set out more fully below.

When the machine is' to be operated it is filled with the marking liquid to a level 98 as shown in Figure 5. The lling tube 55 has a small air hole 99 which serves to limit the height to which the reservoir can be lled. Once the level ofthe liquid rises to the opening 99, air backs up above the liquid and prevents 'further lling. This makes it impossible to ll the reservoir to the brim, which would be undesirable because, during rotation of the reservoir I6, liquid would rise up to the upper cover 43 if the reservoir were lilled to the brim and might pass out of the reservoir to reach the upper ball bearing 48 or to slop out of the machine. A stopper IUD closes the top of the lling tube 55.

Next, a stack of layers of cloth is placed upon the table II and moved until the rst point tobwi" marked is below the V-notch of the presser foot 28. Then the electric motor I2 is set in operation to rotate the needle and reservoir and to mix the chalk with the carbon-tetrachloride carrier to form a marking mixture. When the marking mixture has been stirred enough to give a uniform suspension, the handle I1 is lowered to bring the point 63 of the needle I4 through the lower guide 38 until it comes in contact with'the stack of cloth I8. At this point the presser foot 28 is urged into position by the spring 33 to prevent further movement of the stack of cloth I8. As the handle I1 is further lowered the needle rises with respect to the reservoir I6 until the opening 55 is above the gasket 1I and within the liquid in thereservoir. The handle I1 is further lowered to drive the needle I4 completely through the stack of cloth; and, while the needle passes through the cloth, marking fluid ilows through the bore of the needle and out through the opening 26 to leave a mark on each layer of cloth in the stack I8.

When the needle I4 has passed completely through the bolt of cloth I8, the handle I1 is raised once more and the needle is pulled back up through the bolt. At this point the spring 14 acts to close the valve 12, and the needle I4 descends with relation to the reservoir while being raised through the cloth thus shutting off the flow of liquid to the needle I4. When the handle I1 is raised to its full height, the element 32 is automatically raised by the reservoir support member 3I to lift the hold-down plate 28 from the stack of cloth and permit the stack to be moved preparatory to the next marking operation.

The chalk carbon-tetrachloride mixture would act to clog the bore of the needle I4 if it were left in the bore and allowed to dry therein. Therefore, when the machine is to be left idle, the bore of the needle must iirst be cleaned. This is done simply. The motor I2 is stopped to permit the reservoir to stop rotating. In a short time, the chalk settles out of the marking mixture to leave a layer of clear carbon-tetrachloride above the chalk. The chalk settles into the coneshaped trough 44a of the bottom 44 below the level of the gasket 1I. Then the needle I4 is manually raised sufficiently to permit clear carbon-tetrachloride to pass through the bore of the needle to clean any remaining marking mix.- ture out of the bore of the needle and leave the needle in condition for standing idle.

When the needle is pulled out of the layers of cloth, the port hole or opening 65 in the side of the needle at the top is then open slightly below the gasket which allows air to get in the top of the needle and completely drain the needle before it is pulled out of the cloth.

In other words, the needle must be drained, which is accomplished by preventing the formation of a Vacuum at each marking operationl Since the opening in the top of the needle is a. little below the gasket or guide, air can get to the top of the needle bore and all remaining liquid in the needle is completely drained out leaving a clean needle for the following operation.

The nut that holds the needle in place has a vent hole drilled in it to allow air to pass up the iiat side of support Sl (Figure 7) and enter at the top of the needle.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In a, machine for marking cloth with a marking fluid which is composed of a mixture of i'lnely divided pigment particles and volatile liquid and which is characterized by rapid settling of the particles unless agitated, a fluid reservoir, the bottom of the reservoir congurated to provide a raised central portion and a trough surrounding said portion, a packing gland within the raised central portion, an elongated hollow needle having an entry port adjacent its upper end and an egress port adjacent its lower end, the upper end of said needle slidaoly mounted within said packing gland and movable between a position in which the entry port is within and closed by said packing gland and a position in which said entry port is above said packing gland and open to the reservoir, spring means urging said needle toward the first of said positions, means for rotating said reservoir, means for agitating marking fluid within the reservoir operable only upon rotation of the reservoir, means for lowering said reservoir while the reservoir is rotating to force the needle to pierce' a stack of cloth, whereby the needle upon contact with the cloth is moved upwardly relative to the packing gland to open the entry port to agitated marking fluid in the reservoir and permit said fluid to flow through the hollow needle, and said needle adapted to be raised when the reservoir is still and the pigment particles settled into the trough to open the entry port to particle-free liquid, and permit said particle-free liquid to now through the hollow needle in order to wash out deposited pigment.

2. In a machine for marking cloth with marking fluid which is composed of a mixture of nely divided pigment particles and volatile liquid and which is characterized by rapid settling of the particles unless agitated, a fluid reservoir, the bottom of the reservoir coniigurated to provide a raised central portion and a trough surrounding said portion, said trough adapted to receive settled pigment particles when duid within the reservoir is unagitated, leaving the upper end of the raised central portion within particle-free liquid, a packing gland within the upper end of said raised central portion, an elongated hollow needle having an entry port adjacent its upper end and an egress port adjacent its lower end, the upper end of said needle slidably mounted within said packing gland and movable between a lower position in which the entry port is within and closed by said packing gland and an upper position in which said entry port is above said packing gland and open to the reservoir, means urging said needle toward said lower position, and means for agitating fluid Within the reservoir.

3. In a machine for marking cloth with a marking fluid which is composed of a mixture of finely divided pigment particles and volatile liquid and which is characterized by rapid settling of the particles unless agitated, a marking fluid reservoir, a trough disposed in the bottom of the reservoir for collecting settled pigment particles, a packing gland disposed above said trough and carried by said reservoir, an elongated hollow bore needle having the upper end thereof longitudinally movable Within the packing gland, said needle having entry and egress ports communicating with the hollow bore thereof, the entry port positioned relative to the packing gland so as to be closed by said packing gland upon downward movement of the needle, resilient means urging the needle in said downward direction, means for rotating said reservoir, means for agitating marking fluid within said reservoir operable only upon rotation of the reservoir, and means for lowering said reservoir while it is being rotated to force the needle to pierce a stack of cloth whereby the needle upon contact with the cloth is moved upwardly rela-L tive to the packing gland to open the entry port to agitated marking fluid and permit said fluid to flow through the needle and mark cloth.

4. In a machine for marking cloth with a marking iluid which is composed of a mixture of iinely divided pigment particles and volatile liquid and which is characterized by rapid settling of the particles unless agitated, the combinationof a fluid reservoir, the bottom of the reservoir conngurated to provide a raised central portion and a trough surrounding said portion, said trough adapted to receive settled pigment particles when the fluid within the reser- Y voir is unagitated, leaving the upper end of the raised central portion within particle-free liquid, a packing gland within said raised central portion and an elongated hollow bore needle slidably mounted Within said packing and depending below said reservoir, an entry port adjacent the upper end of said needle, said needle being vertically movable between a lower position in which said entry port is within and closed by said packing gland and an upper position in which said entry port is above said packing gland and open to fluid within the reservoir, means urging said needle toward said lower position, and means for agitating uid within said reservoir.

EDWARD F. SMITH.

REFEREN CES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 295,009 Hogan Mar. 11, 1884 636,115 Cameron Oct. 31, 1899 681,121 Hudson Aug. 20, 1901 992,732 Brough May 16, 1911 999,824 Campbell Aug. 8, 1911 1,398,396 Rosenfeld Nov. 29, 1921 1,439,615 De Marquez Dec. 19, 1922 1,771,399 Christophel July 29, 1930 2,118,718 White May 24, 1938 2,135,228 Wolkan Nov. 1, 1938 2,199,822 Hill May 7, 1940 2,227,254 Glassberg Dec. 31, 1940 2,264,786 Barley Dec. 2, 1941 2,347,333 Phillips Apr. 25, 1944 

